Polymers have for lengthy been a fundamental piece of our everyday lives so much so that examples is available almost ubiquitously. We are apt to have an impression leading us to trust that polymers are only plastics employed for packaging, in household objects as well as making fibres, however, this is just the tip from the iceberg.
Polymers are utilized in many applications you do not have thought much about. This web site enlightens you in regards to the story behind polymers and just how it’s got evolved since that time for everyone several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have good thing about the flexibility of polymers since way back when as oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it had not been before the industrial revolution that the polymer industry began to develop. In reality, the birth of polymer science might be traced returning to the mid-nineteenth century. From the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization method that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber into a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland developed a resin from two common chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The response between both of these chemicals led the way to build up a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It was this resin that served being a harbinger to many people from the common polymers that people use today. The saying “polymer” hails from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which build means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are composed of countless chemical units called monomers, which are gathered into large molecular chains made up of thousands of atoms.
Classification of polymers
Judging by their origin, polymethyl methacrylate might be considered synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that appear in nature knowning that which are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are some examples of natural polymers. Though they may be processed to have the end product, because the basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are termed as natural polymers. Natural rubber received from tree latex is basically a polymer created from isoprene units with a tiny proportion of impurities in it.
With this context, biopolymers will also be significant. There exists huge variety of biopolymers for example polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally made by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes method for enormous possibility of the biotechnological output of biopolymers with tailored properties well suited for high-value medical application for example tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, for their name indicates, are synthesized from the laboratory or factory by way of a group of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. From your functional standpoint they may be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and synthetic fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is one such thermoplastic made by the polymerization from the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is commonly called acrylic plastic and lends its properties with a various consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is utilized extensively from the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer goods that use a constituent portion of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, amongst others.
A few of the other synthetic polymers that people use within us include Nylons, used in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, used in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, used in pipes.
As a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to help you to understand its properties being a synthetic polymer. To understand more, find us here.
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